Can You Wear a See-Through Dress IRL?

It feels like it’s been ages since Anja Rubik was kicked off Instagram for posting a photo of herself in Anthony Vaccarello’s Fall ’14 show, wearing a super-sheer blouse that let her nipples peek through. The censorship seemed to suggest that a woman’s nipples were offensive, spurring Rubik’s “Don’t Fear the Nipple” movement and a bigger conversation about empowering women to embrace their sexuality. Fast-forward two and a half years, and Rubik was freeing the nipple again on Vaccarello’s runway last night—this time for his Saint Laurent debut—wearing a whisper of a black blouse sprinkled with crystals.

Vaccarello isn’t the only designer favoring the braless, see-through look this season. At Lanvin this morning, Bouchra Jarrar showed a transparent purple gown with long sleeves, a pussy-bow necktie, and not a shred of lining. Fendi whipped up rococo-inspired dresses that exposed the nipples, too, like the gossamer frock Gigi Hadid wore, while models at Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini floated out in sheer lace dresses cinched with leather belts. The common denominator? A “covered-up” silhouette—like a long-sleeved blouse or high-necked dress—subverted by the breast-baring silk or chiffon.

That being said, freeing the nipple IRL is still somewhat taboo, so the probability of seeing any of these looks on the street (or even the red carpet) is slim. Plus, once the dresses hit stores, they’ll likely come with linings or slips anyway; either that or you’ll have to get clever with your own underpinnings. Which begs the question—what’s the point of baring it all on the runway? While you ponder the question, scroll through nine sheer looks from the season thus far in the slideshow above.